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The Goldfinch

Have you read any good books recently? My friend Megan just emailed me with a recommendation: "If you're looking for something great, pick up The Goldfinch. Best contemporary novel I've read in about a billion years. Don't be put off by the fact that it's 800 pages. You'll wish it were longer."

The Goldfinch is described as a "beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph," and the New Yorker writes, "Like the rest of us, Donna Tartt ages; but her fiction is going the other way. Her new novel, 'The Goldfinch,' is a virtual baby: it clutches and releases the most fantastical toys. Its tone, language, and story belong to children’s literature."I'm so intrigued! Sometimes I like starting books (and movies) without knowing anything, so I ordered it without looking up the plot synopsis. Have you read it? Thoughts? Any other books you'd recommend? I know you guys are big readers!

196 comments:

I LOVED The Goldfinch and 100% agree with your friend. I've recommend it to literally everyone in my life (even the lady at the library checking it out! I had to tell her how good it was). Fantastic, fantastic read.

Currently reading the last book in the "Giver" series by Lois Lowry. I read the Giver years ago as a teen, but as an adult I appreciate the series in a whole new way. I highly recommend for an easy yet engrossing read. I couldn't put them down!

Also recommended: anything by Adriana Trigiani, Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom, and Khaled Hosseini's wonderful books.

I completely agree with your friend! I finished The Goldfinch a couple weeks ago and it is now my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants a new book! It was beautiful, intriguing, heartbreaking... everything a book should be in my opinion :) Enjoy!

I recently started reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula" bc I made a New Year's Resolution to read some classics. Of course I knew the story, but I had never read it for myself and I have to say: It's really, REALLY scary! My husband comes into bed at night and asks me all sorts of questions about it, too. We're both on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens. LOL!

I'm 550pgs in and disagree with the sentiment that it could be longer. No. It's beautifully written but she honestly writes to hear herself talk. There are 200pg chunks that don't drive the plot in any way. I'm going to finish it but I'm not as in love with it as I was at the beginning.

I recently finished reading The Goldfinch and I must agree, it was quite a book. I didn't feel like I was reading 800 pages, because it flowed so wonderfully from one page to the next. Beautiful story, and I highly recommend it. It was a great book to end/start the year with.

Ooooh, I've been wanting to read this. I'm never afraid of a big book. In fact, I prefer them. I feel like you get to soak into the story a little longer. Of course, that feeling is dependent on the book being justified in its length and the author not dragging on for no reason for 700 pages, but I hear this is really good and so I'll take the word of your friend. :)

The Goldfinch is incredible - you should definitely read it. Donna Tartt is my hero! Somebody on here said she writes to hear herself talk, and maybe that's true in that her books are pretty lush and generous, not as trim as a lot of modern fiction... but she doesn't do the social media thing, hardly does any publicity - it's all about the writing, the craft, and that's why I adore her. Let us know how you get on, Jo, once you've read it!

I haven't read this, but it's on my Goodreads "to-read" shelf. I would recommend Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Cider House Rules by John Irving. The first one is a book I buy used copies of so I can give them to people, that's how heavily I recommend it!

Currently obsessed with Willa Cather (Shadows on the Rock, Death Comes for the Archbishop) and Mark Helprin (A Soldier of the Great War, Memoir from Antproof Case). Ooh, and I just started getting into Cormac McCarthy-- the Border Trilogy is dark but amazing.

I love that you posted on this today! I am about 150 pages from the end and seriously considered calling in sick so that I could stay home and finish it! Lol. I didn't, so I know what I will be doing tonight...

You'll enjoy it I am sure. And 800 pages read surprisingly fast when the writing is of this calibre!

The Goldfinch is lots of fun to read. You are immersed in a world that feels so authentic, whether it's in good times or bad. There are situations about home, or desiring home; being good and being bad; and the sheer richness of visual pleasures that are wonderful. I liked it more than her first novel, which was also good.I thought the end was a big hamfisted. It may not be quite in the league of A.S. Byatt (it reminds me of her work in some ways), but it is definitely worth reading. Another novel that would be a great choice for New Yorkers is Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin.For something funny (and shorter) I just read a novel by Michael Malone called Foolscap. I'd never heard of it, it is jolly and takes swipes at academics and show biz folk.Anything by Michael Chabon is a good bet too.I love a big fat book!

A few friends of mine have also been recommending it, so its my next read. Just finished Night Film, which I was very very pleased with. Its a light read and the language is not "dense" but the plot gets you so hooked. Currently started the Luminaries, so we shall see how that goes.

Also someone else on here mentioned Middlesex and I have to agree that book is an absolute must read. I still find myself thinking about the depth of emotion I experienced while reading that years ago.

I just started reading "The Goldfinch" last night! Glad to hear such rave reviews about it. This weekend I finished reading "The Signature of All Things" which I really enjoyed and would definitely recommend. Other recent favorites have been "The Girl You Left Behind" and "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?"

Ahh! I'm excited to read "The Goldfinch" now! I bought it last month when Amazon was having one of their Flash Deals but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I'm currently in the middle of "Me Before You" and "The Cuckoos Calling" so I'll have to wait until I finish those to start it... Thanks for sharing!

loving all the other recommendations in the comments and have a few new reserves now at our library. after The Goldfinch, I followed up with Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton - totally different but also beautifully written and you don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy. xx

This book is sitting on my nightstand waiting for me to crack it open. I've been a fan of Donna Tartt's writing for 20 years since I first read The Secret History, so I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Well, it's on the NY Times bestseller list, so that's always a good sign. Now that I hear what your friend is saying and I'm interested in reading it. I still want to read Gone Girl and The Fault in Our Stars.

This is the second rave for this book I've heard in as many days; time to pick it up! I absolutely loved Tartt's book "The Secret History," though I wasn't as crazy about her follow-up, "The Little Friend"... I'm so excited to hear the great reviews for this one!

I just finished "The Rules of Civility," about young social climbers in 1930s New York; it was a great way to pass a long layover in the airport.

I scanned the comments to see if anyone else had mentioned it, and I would recommend Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. It's one of those books that I read without finding out too much about it in advance and I could not put it down. I really loved getting lost in the world of the story and really liked the the development of the characters and how they related to each other.

WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES by Karen Joy Fowler. Don't read any synopses, just read the book! It is incredible, so well-written, so moving, so interesting. It's been days since I've read it and I'm still day dreaming and thinking about it. Favorite book I've read in a long, long time!!!

Currently reading Jesus Land, and it's terrific. Just finished Marley and Me and I cried so hard throughout the last chapters that I could barely see the words on the page! I've added The Goldfinch to my library holds, thank for the recommendation!

Lots of folks probably already read The Book Thief, but I just finished it. LOVED it, so endearing and beautiful. Also looking forward to Sue Monk Kidd's new book (Oprah selection). Also, reading the Bible in 90 days with an online group for comments. Never done it this way before. Learning tons!

I just finished The Goldfinch last night! I didn't know anything about it going in, except that I loved Donna Tartt's first book (The Secret History) and didn't care for her second (The Little Friend). Pleased to report that I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it!

I liked “The Goldfinch” and “The Secret HIstory.” I”m not sure I wanted to book to be longer. There is a lot of drug-fueled rambling.

I’m reading Ann Patchett’s “This is the story of a happy marriage” right now. It’s a collection of essays, but they read like a cross between memoir and fiction. I like that I can pick it and leave it while I chase around my kid!

My husband and I recently (eleven seconds before Christmas) decided that every year we would get each other a book that we would be psyched to add to our shelves as permanent fixtures. He gave me The Goldfinch. I haven't started it yet, but I preemptively like that the experience of reading a great novel will be associated with him. (I also totally agree with avoiding not only plot spoilers but plotlines in general; the reading process is so unfettered!)

I actually just reviewed The Goldfinch on my blog. I really enjoyed it (except for the dialogue, yeesh) but I love everything Tartt writes. http://stephanieearlygreen.com/book-review-monday-the-goldfinch-by-donna-tartt/

I've passed up this book several times without looking at the synopsis, only because I wasn't intrigued by he title. I think I won't pass it up again and I like the idea of reading a book without reading the jacket first.

For Christmas this year I bought my mom Someone by Alice McDermott, and my sister How Should a Person Be by Sheila Heti and they both breezed through them and raved about them, I can't wait to borrow both!

I read it last month while breastfeeding. It was hard to hold but well worth it! :) I am happy to see so many people that also find her book, The Secret History, among their favorites. It's amazing and MUST be made into a movie. I highly recommend it, as well.

I will try to be nice but I ended up hating this book and didn't finish it. I just didn't want to waste any more of my time with the characters who were truly horrible people. And a lame, lame, ending. (My husband told me how it ended. He didnt like it either.) Sorry.

I'm looking forward to reading The Goldfinch. I've heard wonderful reviews. I just read The Lowland which I absolutely loved. Also, The Husband's Secret was excellent. I'm currently reading The Interestings, which I like a lot, but it's not a page-turner necessarily. And my absolute favorite always is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. :)

I second "Me Before You", "Middlesex" and I don't know if anyone suggested it, but "The Fault in Our Stars" was good too. I might have to check this one out, although I'm interested to read the plot synopsis before I commit :) happy reading.

The painting the cover is based on is currently be displayed at either the Met or MOMA, I can't remember which. There was a story on the news about another painting that people are lining up to see because of it being a cover of a book and how this one is getting attention as well. It apparently is a teeny tiny thing.

I just finished that book a week or so ago and really enjoyed it. I didn't love the way it ended, but it wasn't a bad ending. It's a great book to submerge yourself in, and it's long enough that you won't try to read it all in one sitting (unlike books like The Hunger Games). I listened to the audiobook version on Audible and the reader was very good! I'm a couple stories into Karen Russel's short story collection "Vampires In The Lemon Grove" and really enjoying that.

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. She has just won the Booker prize with this book. It's long as well but image the beautiful characterisation of Dickens with an intriguing kind of who done it. I loved it.

Someone earlier recommended Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. While I haven't had the chance to read this book yet, I have read her Jackson Brodie series recently and loved it. They are mysteries and are so intricately plotted. The kind of books you stay up (too) late reading because you want to see what happens next.

I'm reading Claiming Ground, by Laura Bell. (Recommended by the Noisy Plume.) It's a memoir by a woman who went to Wyoming as a young woman in the 70s. She stayed several years as a sheepherder. It's amazing.

Loved The Goldfinch. I'd also recommend "Where'd You Go, Bearnadette?", and one of the very best books I've ever read, "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Attwood. She was the first writer I read who wrote in a way where every comma and period had meaning. No fast reading her writing.

I got this book for Christmas, but school has resumed so I haven't started it yet. I think I might start it even though I read so much for school that, even though I love reading for pleasure, I don't want to spend my precious little spare time reading.

Transatlantic was my favorite book I read in 2013. His writing is really incredible; I had a little trouble getting through the first section but the plot picks up after a few chapters and becomes really incredible.

I also enjoy reading books without knowing the plot first. I have The Goldfinch on hold from the library and am looking forward to reading it!

My book club group just finished The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri and for probably the first time since I can remember we actually talked about the book the entire meeting! It was deep and moving and sad and hopeful, all at the same time. Loved it!

I just bought this book last week after finishing another novel of hers, The Secret History, which was fantastic. I can't wait to read this! Like you, I haven't read anything about it so I don't really know what's going to happen but I love the suspense of unfolding a novel.

Oh I love Jhumpa Lahini. I need to buy that Lowland book when it comes out in paperback.

I want to read this book too!! We're leaving on Saturday for Anguilla and I'm trying to compile my beach reading, but I don't think I want to lug around such a large book. I'll save it for by-the-fire reading. Thanks!

I might be the only person in the world who didn't like The Secret History by this same author. She's a great writer but every character in that book is just despicable, there was no one to root for. Based on that I'm not sure about this. Maybe I'll wait til it becomes available at the library rather than buy it (I have a book buying problem).

We Need to Talk About Kevin - by Lionel Shriver. Easily the best book I've read in about 3 years and I read about 185 books in that time! Also, I recently read A Tale for the Time Being - By Ruth Ozeki which was sweet and wistful.

Loving all the recommendations! I recently returned from a trip down south where we went to the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs MS. I loved his artwork and was so fascinated to learn more about his life that I've reserved 5 books from the library and am just waiting for them to get here.

I tend to get hooked on an author and read whatever I can by them. Past authors I've enjoyed include Willa Cather, Wallace Stegner and Ivan Doig. I'm going to buy Goldfinch because I know my husband will want to read it too and he's a much slower reader then me.

Her first book "The Secret History" is one of my all time favorite books. I've started "The Goldfinch" but I am a mother of a boy and wow its tough to get through the beginning... you'll soon see what I mean.

Well I guess I will be making a stop at the bookstore on my way home tonight! I love all the other book recommendations in the comments, too! I have a lot of travel coming up this year, so I will definitely be referring back to some of these suggestions.

Goldfinch is on my To Read list.Can't wait to get to it.Currently reading 11/22/63, and I can't believe how great it is. I'm also reading Stardust, which is my first Neil Gaiman book. I'm really enjoying it.

I am in the process of reading "The Goldfinch" right now. I am almost halfway through it, but unfortunately, I do not like it nearly as much as I enjoyed "The Secret History". I basically couldn't put "The Secret History" down, but I find myself having to consciously and decidedly pick "The Goldfinch" up!

I just started Goldfinch. awesome. Her book the Secret History was also fantastic, although I didn't really like Little Friend. My biggest recommendation for right now, though, is "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl. Holy greatness. By far and away my favorite book of 2013. And probably the last 5 years. It's in the same vein as Gone, Girl (which is also fantastic) but...better.

I just started Goldfinch. awesome. Her book the Secret History was also fantastic, although I didn't really like Little Friend. My biggest recommendation for right now, though, is "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl. Holy greatness. By far and away my favorite book of 2013. And probably the last 5 years. It's in the same vein as Gone, Girl (which is also fantastic) but...better.

I finally got around to reading Fear of Flying and it is EXCELLENT! Another "been around forever and not read it" is Jane Eyre. A really good read! Such wonderful character development and so emotion filled.

I love Donna Tartt, and especially loved The Secret History. But my best read of 2013 was The Golem and the Jinni. The friend who recommended it to me said, "Honestly, toward the end I was turning pages before I had finished reading them." It was THAT good...

In the middle of this now! Cannot put it down. Also, as opposed to The Secret History, I am totally attached to the narrator. Enriches the story that much more. Favorites this year: The Circle by Dave Eggers, Tenth of December by George Saunders and the Orphan Master's Son by Andrew Johnson.

I saw the actual Goldfinch painting on the Mauritshuis loan to S.F.'s de Young Museum (I believe it's now in Bologna, Italy, after stopping in Atlanta and NYC). Saw it on so many year-end lists in December that it'll have to go on my to-read list.

I'm reading this at the moment (300 pages since last thursday snatched on trains!) and sometimes forget where I am! I definitely agree that it has a feel of children's literature about it, and that makes it feel comforting somehow.

IT"S SO GOOD! I didn't sleep for weeks because I couldn't put it down. I also read A Dual Inheritance, Night Film, The Secrets of Happy Families (non-fiction), The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sweet Tooth ... all so good. This winter is one for good books!

I picked up The Goldfinch because Donna Tartt's other novel, The Secret History, is one of my all time favorite novels. It took me a little bit to get into The Goldfinch, but now it's moving along very quickly and I can't wait to see what happens!

I've had good luck lately & have really like everything I've read in the past few months. Some recent faves: Me Before You, And the Mountains Echoed, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Namesake.

I'm so excited to read this book! I'm on the list at the library holding my breath.

I read a lot of YA novels (vetting for my kids - which has made me love the genre) and just read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - maybe one of my favorite books ever, it's a WW2 spy novel that's really about friendship. I loved it SO MUCH. Also Bomb by Steve Sheinkin was amazingly interesting and informative.

I read The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbauch in a little over 2 days, part of which included a trans-atlantic-trans-continental flight upon which the movies weren't working AND I was in coach, but I couldn't have cared less. I missed the characters when I finished.

I read The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbauch in a little over 2 days, part of which included a trans-atlantic-trans-continental flight upon which the movies weren't working AND I was in coach, but I couldn't have cared less. I missed the characters when I finished.

Hi Jo first time poster here - I LOVE your blog - so inspiring, fun, smart, and more besides....!. I just wanted to say I just finished the last page of The Goldfinch and it is amazing. The voice of the main character is magnetic, and you just can't put the book down!I just had a 10 hour flight with my four year old and the trusty I-pad meant I got hours of peace & quiet to read a good chunk of it. I know, not the best parenting ;-)Mish

Great novel, also loved The Book Thief, The Language of Flowers, Tell The Wolves I'm Home, The Cover Of Snow (an exceptional debut novel) and Sea Creatures. Just a few of the really great books I read in 2013

I liked Goldfinch quite a bit but it was not an upper. Despite the theme of beauty, the theme that we cannot choose our own hearts made me feel really sad about a lot of events in the second half of the book. I'm glad I read fast; otherwise, I think I would have had emotional malaise for weeks. Although it did draw me in and her writing is gorgeous. The way she writes about certain feelings perfectly crystallizes some really heavy, overwhelming emotions into words. So, yes I would recommend it but the reading experience was very different than what I expected. And I agree with anonymous above- the ending was pretty hamfisted.

Books recs I have are Suite Francaise, Middlesex and the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

The Goldfinch has been moved to the top of my list of books to buy. Another one that was brought to my attention just today was Quiet by Susan Cain. It is a well researched book about what life is like for an introvert living in a world that is structured for extroverts. As an introvert I am very curious to learn more about myself through her thoughts, real life stories, and research. She also presented her thoughts on Ted Talks.

I'm reading it now on my e-reader. I knew it was thick, but hard to tell how thick when it's on a device. I think I like reading it on that, because I know it's long, but I don't want to be disappointed when I realize I only have a few pages left. It's great!

I'm almost finished with this book and I love it. The only little thing that bugged me (as an English major) was the amount of typos I found! I had to resist the urge to go through it with a red pen. But It's a great novel, a little slow at times, but it reminds me of David Copperfield or Great Expectations.

I am reading The Goldfinch now and absolutely love it. I also loved A secret history. I hated hated hated Life after Life by Kate Atkinson, what crap! I will read The Luminaries next and Americanah too but honestly, I don't want the Goldfinch to end!!!!